In the Yukon, the relatively low initial cost, high concentrating ratio, durability, high throughput, ease of use and acceptable recovery rates are reasons the sluice, in its many forms, has remained the favourite since the turn of the century.
The term "sluice box" is a broad generic term that encompasses just about any device that confines a slurry of water and gravel to a fixed, usually rectangular cross-section at a constant gradient.
Yukon placer miners still appear to regard the sluicebox as the most cost-effective method of treating placer gold deposits. Though simple to construct and operate, the behaviour of a sluice box is really quite complex. This is part of the reason that it has not been extensively researched.
The feed rate of water or gravel per foot of sluice width, riffle configuration and feed geometry of sluice boxes vary considerably throughout the Yukon. This great variety of operating practices seems far in excess of that required. In this respect, the Yukon is no different from the rest of the North American placer mining industry. The lack of consensus among placer miners indicates the need for a more fundamental understanding of the sluice box.
